The only one for me is you, and you for me- HAPPY TOGETHER!

A phenomena I have seen while on my many adventures around Tianjin, is people dressing alike. At first I thought they were siblings- after all, many an Armstrong vacation was spent in matching outfits (anyone else remember the american flag shorts we all had to wear?!). In all fairness, my parents had to wrangle 4 kids around Disney World and it was a safety precaution. In case one of us got lost they could tell security, "she is wearing what the rest are wearing." There was no need for them to memorize what each of their four kids had on. So what was going on here in China then? There are no theme parks here and these people are young adults, not children. Well, they are in love...

It is VERY common to dress in the same clothing as your boyfriend/girlfriend. I guess this is a way of claiming each other as "MINE"...animals might pee on things to mark their territory, people here just dress the same (probably more sanitary). Below are some examples:

Matching Stripes!

... you would have to be in love to wear matching pink polos

please notice the boy is wearing lavender, carrying the purse, and the umbrella... I am impressed.

"Just for funny"

The above quote is compliments of one of my fellow foreign teachers (I will not name names haha:) When she said this on the subway, I died laughing because this happens ALL the time for us. After living in another country so long you find you are unable to speak the English language correctly and start picking up phrases never used in the west.

I have now developed a tendency to use phrases such as: "what a pity", "make friends", "so-so", and "that is all" (this last phrase you just put at the end of everything you say). Not only have phrases I never would say in the west started popping up in my lexicon, but also pronunciation difficulties have started to arise. I now include an extra syllable for words ending in -es and -ed (ex: He wore many cloth-es while walking down the different path-es... or saying "Thank-id" not Thanked).

It is very amusing and we laugh constantly at our many gaffes. However, I am heading to grad school in the fall and have to begin sounding intelligent again. Therefore, if you hear me say anything incorrectly when I get back to the States, PLEASE correct me...and THAT IS ALL!

yea, that is right, I'm eating birthday cake with chopsticks...

Nearing the End

I am nearing the end of my time here in China and I am actually getting really sad to be leaving. I truly enjoy teaching these students- they are anxious learners and it is so rewarding to see them improve their English skills. However, I am excited to get back to many western perks- toilets, thinking outside the box, and food with less oil.

I find with my last 40-odd days I have left, that I am trying to experience as much as possible and just get out and enjoy living in a foreign country. I still feel like there is so much more I want to see and do. Having a deadline/leave date makes it so I try and accomplish these goals.

Originally I had planned to head to Tibet for my last week in China, but unfortunately I can not afford it (grad school is beckoning). Oh well, one of my former students invited me to her hometown in Xi'an- home of the terracotta warriors! That is a pretty nice consolation prize. The only reason I am not truly saddened is because I KNOW I will come back to China/Tibet.

Carpe Diem, my fellow readers, and seize the carp! ("out cold" movie reference haha)

Shameless Flirt... The Art of Bargaining

My mother, Tootles, came to visit during the Easter holiday. It was an amazing trip and I was able to see some new parts of China- Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou. For my mom, it was a stress free trip since I handled all the reservations, flights, money, and bargaining.

Understanding the Art of Bargaining is essential to living in China because there are no set prices on any goods. This can be VERY frustrating because once the merchants see your white face coming, the prices go up... way up!

It is important to realize three things:
1) Never appear too interested in something. You have to be willing to give up if the seller does not match the price you think it is worth
2) it is always WORTH less than you think it is (this is china... land of fakes and cheap labor)
3) the seller would never sell you something unless they are making a profit- they often try and tell you that you are getting it for less than they paid for it hahah yeah right

Once you understand those three facts, then comes the fun part of using your charm. My mother witnessed firsthand my shameless tactics... I FLIRT! Yep, I bat my eyelashes and look sad and say I can not afford what they ask because I am a poor teacher. Basically, I make a fool out of myself and the merchants love it... therefore giving me a large discount. I managed to get a table runner for my mother that originally was 180rmb down to 30rmb. Also, some "Rolex" watches that were originally 100rmb each instead managed to bargain and get them 2 for 40rmb. The rolex showdown was with a woman, so instead of flirting, a lot of arm waving around worked best.

Tootles was shocked by my behavior but it got her what she wanted- great wall t-shirt, rolex watch, and a panda bookmark. Plus, she couldn't stop laughing.

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

I know I have joked around before about kids pooping in the street and a lot of other unhygienic things going on in China, but it was never as apparent as when we made a trip to the hospital. Like I mentioned in previous posts, I was sick and then Abbie got sick. Well, Abbie ended up having a REALLY bad stomach issue and only 5 days after my trip to the infirmary. I was still very sore and occasionally having bouts of a fever and bad headaches, so I had just taken a medication to help me get some sleep. Two hours later I was awoken by a text and a bang on my door. Abbie was crouched over in pain and saying she had to go to the doctors- it was 1:20 am. I was so disoriented because I was on medication and was out of it, but I called Howard and tried to relay the message. Since I woke him from his sleep (and he is a new father), he too was as disoriented as I was. He came to our rooms by 2am and we all headed off to the Hospital. Abbie was in excruciating pain and said it felt like someone had shot her in the stomach. We get to the hospital and see a nurse in a white cap who pokes at Abbie's stomach once (the only examination she receives) and says she should get an injection to stop the spasming. The 3 of us head off to the one room, where we are greeted by the site of trash on the ground and a man who looks like he is severely burned being stitched up. In the back corner, the nurse needs to give Abbie her shot. We are all standing like we are about to play 4-square with only about 2 feet in-between each of us and a small curtain separating Howard and Abbie. The nurse tells Howard in Chinese what needs to be done. Howard then awkwardly looks at his feet and starts shuffling around and whispers to me "Abbie needs to pull her pants down, it has to go here ::points to butt::" I then peak around the curtain at Abbie and say "it's going in your ass"... even though she could totally hear what Howard said hahaha

Unfortunately, as time ticked on that drug did not work. We ended up staying on to see if maybe an IV might help. Somewhere by the time of Abbie's first exam and us waiting for the first drug to take effect, we acquired a friend we christened "Clarence" after the guardian angel in "It's A Wonderful Life." Clarence, basically watched over us and stood near us and pointed to places we needed to go inside the hospital. He followed us to the IV area- over 40 beds crammed into one room- and looked at the drugs being used and predicted how long they would take to work... have I mentioned that he does NOT work for the hospital?! Yep, he was just hanging out. When we each grabbed a bed (it was 3:30 am at the point and I was still on some strong meds), he took one across from us just to watch. Clarence wore a suit jacket and timberland shoes and just lounged in the bed. I secretly tried taking pictures and this is the best I could get of him:

While we were waiting for Abbie's IVs to finish, the 'burn' victim I previously mentioned was wheeled into the room. It turns out he wasn't burned but was hit by a car that then left the scene. Luckily, he had some great friends who took turns helping him out. It was just so hard to sit there next to this guy who I felt needed better care plus some place clean and sterile. Chinese hospitals look like they are straight out of the 1950s- including nurses with white dresses and CAPS! The only people who actually wore gloves were the cleaning crew and it did not look like proper disinfectant was used.

Clarence had left us at 6am, and we were saddened by his departure. However, only an hour later he reappeared wearing a hoodie that said "HOT" on it, changed into jeans and was now wearing white sneakers. He also was carrying a sack with 4 buns in it and his hair had been combed. We still are not sure if he lives at/near the hospital or why he was watching over us. He did come over to us and offer us one of the buns- we declined. Thinking back on it, I wish I would've had one because I think he intentionally bought them for us. We appreciated how he made a grim situation seem comical.

Thankfully, the IVs worked for Abbie and we were able to leave the hospital by 8am. I know the hospital might have been 'unclean' by our standards, but she had spent 6 hours there and had multiple drug treatments all for less than $20 USD... pretty amazing when you think about that 'burn/crash' victim earlier who probably will get treated and taken care of to the best of the hospital's ability and still be able to afford it. Maybe Clarence will keep an eye on him, guardian angel for the infirmed and the foreign.

Gifts for the Infirmed

As mentioned in the last post, I was sick and running a fever earlier in March. The next day, Abbie ended up coming down with a stomach virus of some kind and she too had to cancel classes. As a result, people were dropping by our rooms giving us bags and bags of fruit.

In the west, chicken soup. In the east, fruit (apples, bananas,... and this weird grapefruit-y thing):

From Beijing to Burning Up

After the first week of school in March, Abbie and I made a trip to Beijing for the weekend. We decided to take the subway to our friends place... what were we thinking taking the subway IN China AT rush hour ON a Friday?!? Needless to say, we were crammed into there like sardines (you often hear this expression, but this might actually be the first time I TRULY experienced it). A man behind me had a box by his feet and therefore when more people poured onto the subway pushing me back farther, I ended up being bent over backwards and not standing upright. PLUS, someone was using my messenger bag as support to keep them upright bending me farther back. I was awkwardly holding on to Abbie's pants so that I would not fall back completely or get trampled. Oh and have I mentioned before that I am somewhat claustrophobic?!? My heart was racing so fast, I honestly think I was having a panic attack.

By the time we finally made it to our destination, I was jittery and so incredibly sore. That whole weekend I ended up not feeling well and just felt drained. Finally when we got home Sunday night, I was just physically exhausted and spent. Slowly as the week progressed, my symptoms got worse and by Wednesday it hurt to move any part of my body. I went to class Wednesday morning and did not even have enough energy to stand. When my second class ended, I knew I could not do the next period and it had to be canceled. The walk from my classroom to my bedroom normally takes 12 minutes... it took me 25 minutes to get back, I was moving so slow. I passed out and by the time I awoke, I was feverish. My temperature was over 38*C and if we ever have a fever we have to call our liaison officer, Howard. He ended up coming to my room and taking me to the doctor. I was really nervous, so Abbie came with me for company. The doctor said if my temperature was over 38*C I would have to go to the hospital. She takes my temperature (under my armpit- THANK GOD) and it turns out to be 38.3*C... she decides instead of me going to the hospital I should take this effervescent type stuff and drink hot water. Let me tell you something, when you are BURNING UP the last thing you want to do is drink HOT water! So when I was taken back to my room, I opt for a COLD shower and western drugs... my temperature drops.